Volume 1, Issue 6
An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program
How To Draw an Editorial Cartoon
taking place, which one should get
attention first? “Unless there is one
subject of overriding importance or
timeliness on a particular day, or
some special outrage, I generally try
to narrow down the list of subjects to
two or three,” wrote Block.
Herbert Block knew something
about drawing editorial cartoons.
His first daily political cartoon was
published on May 24, 1929. More
than 70 years later, Herblock cartoons
appeared six days a week in The
Washington Post. He wrote essays
and books about his art and life as a
cartoonist. Block gave the Library of
Congress more than 100 cartoons; his
essay, “The Cartoon,” was included in
the exhibit book, Herblock’s History:
Political Cartoons from the Crash
to the Millennium. Herb Block used
these steps. Quotations from Block
were published in “The Cartoon,” his
essays and books.
1. Know What’s Happening
Read the newspaper and listen to
news broadcasts. Know what the
school board and administrators are
deciding about your school’s physical
and learning environment. What
concerns student government officers
and the kids who sit next to you in
class?
2. Select a Topic
Of the many actions taking or not
3. Decide What Needs to Be Said
“It may not sound very exciting
or ‘cartoony,’ but to me the basic
idea is the same as it ought to be
with a written opinion—to try to say
the right thing. Putting the thought
into the picture comes second.”
The editorial cartoon is similar to a
column. Both are signed and express
a personal point of view. State your
idea in a sentence. Then try to
express it another way.
4. Get the Comment Into Graphic Form
Is there a metaphor, allusion or
symbol that comes to mind? Sketch
several ideas. “A series of ‘roughs’
may approach a subject from different
angles or may be variations on a
theme.” At this stage Block often
shared his sketches to get reaction
and “to get out any bugs that might
be in the cartoon ideas.”
5. Research to Get Accurate
Information
You don’t want to be guilty of
libel. You also want readers to trust
you. Get the facts. Block would ask
reporters who covered certain beats
for information or research for “who
said what or exactly what happened
when.” For Herblock, “Such
help—not ‘ideas for cartoons,’ but
background information and relevant
facts—is of enormous value.”
6. Complete the Cartoon
Block kept a supply of lead and
non-reproducible blue pencils.
His cartoons were composed with
crayons, graphite, ink and opaque
white. You will use the tools that
best suit you. Practice making
lines, hatch and cross-hatch marks
to give dimension to your cartoon.
Keep the drawing uncluttered. You
may wish to use a balloon, labels or
title. “Wordiness can be awkward
in a cartoon—though sometimes
needed to explain an issue or provide
dialogue,” explained Block.
7. Share It
Share your cartoon with others
to make them think, to start them
talking or just to see them enjoy your
work. When Block was starting his
career he experienced “The Thrill
That Comes Once in a Lifetime.”
He wrote, “Such a moment came in
one of those early days on the News
when I was riding a bus, seated
behind two men who were reading
the papers. One of them nudged the
other and handed across his folded
paper, pointing to something in it.
And looking between their shoulders
I could see what he was pointing at—
my cartoon! Not family or classmates
or colleagues, but a couple of people I
didn’t even know!
“It may not sound very exciting or ‘cartoony,’ but to me the basic idea is the
same as it ought to be with a written opinion—to try to say the right thing.
February 25, 2003
9
© 2003 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY
Volume 1, Issue 6
An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program
The Mechanics of Editorial Cartooning
Line: A continuous
mark, as that made by
a pen, pencil or brush
applied to a surface
Hatch: To
shade by
drawing or
etching fine
parallel lines
Ben Day: A way
to add a tone
or texture to a
printed image
by imposing
a transparent
sheet of dots or
other patterns
on the image at
some stage of
a photographic
reproduction
process. (Also
known as
benday, Ben
Day dots.)
Cross-hatch:
To mark
or shade
with two or
more sets of
intersecting
parallel
lines
Hatch mark:
Line used to
create shade
Shading: Part of a picture depicting
darkness or shadow
February 25, 2003
10
Non-photo
blue:
Color that
does not
photograph
so does not
reproduce
on a printed
page.
© 2003 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY